The Heart
by Kenseikan
Summary: Orihime Inoue, the beauty who wore her heart on her sleeves, encounters the mysterious and quiet Ulquiorra Cifer; who couldn't quite understand her heart and it's desires. Brought together by her failing subject, Orihime is determined to learn about him. But with all the lethal affairs that he seemed to be tangled in, it's only natural that one day she'll get hurt... Badly.
1. Chapter 1

New series of one of my newly-loved couples. Let me know what you think of this!

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**The Heart. **

-:-

**Chapter One. **

Orihime gazed out the window, allowing her mind to wander.

Series of thoughts about her grades would pester her and ruin her daydreams. Her grades were slipping, but she didn't seem too bothered about it.

English Literature and History were her best subjects and Biology being her worst. Despite all that, her focus started to fade and grades started to slip. It was an issue raised by the distant aunt who funded her education that if her grades were to slip during her final year of high school, she would cut her college fees — which was_ next year._

Orihime squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to push the thoughts to the back of her head.

New recipes started to cloud her mind as she grabbed her notepad out. _Perhaps red bean paste mixed with curry... _She liked the idea of that, allowing a smile to rise on her face. More ideas were cramming in her imaginative mind, the previous matter totally forgotten.

_Hm... I wonder if Kurosaki-kun would like it too...? Maybe Rukia-san would enjoy something with a sweeter taste...adding some honey should do the trick! _More smiles and light giggles came to herself as she added more drawings and crazy, if not almost _toxic, _combinations to her recipes.

"Good morning, class." The teached greeted as she stepped in the room.

The class echoed their greetings. Orihime murmured an absent greeting, still caught up in her recipes. Scribbling away, she had completely missed the introduction of the new addition to their class, or the looks her teacher began to give her.

She continued scribbling down possible recipes, unaware that the focus of the class was now directed at her.

The teacher cleared her throat, now beside her, gaining her full attention immediately. "Inoue-san."

"RED BEAN PASTE, NO!" Orihime yelled, as she shot up from her seat, her heart pounding in fright. The class immediately bursted into laughter. This wasn't the first time she had been interrupted from her road trip through her imagination. She let out a sheepish smile in response to her slightly annoyed teacher.

"This is our new student, Ulquiorra Cifer."

Orihime immediately bowed as a sign of respect. "Pleasure to have you in our class, Cifer-san!"After what felt like minutes without a response, she peeked up, meeting with emerald green eyes.

She was greeted by a slender yet fairly well built body, and hand in a pocket. Her eyes studied his figure closely, and his messy black hair that somehow fell perfectly in face — his eyes. His captivating emerald eyes stole her attention just before she could study his face properly. He didn't seem very tall, definitely taller than her, though. Orihime rarely took notice of others' features in such detail, but his emerald eyes practically glowed under his porcelain pale skin, creating such a clear canvas. The Karakura uniform showed a generous amount of his chest and—

Orihime's thoughts were cut off.

"Alright then," The teacher's voice awakened the auburn-haired girl. "Cifer-san, where would you like to sit? The only available seats are beside Inoue-san here and one seat beside Jaegerjaques-san." The teacher glanced over to a cyan-blue haired boy, who glared over at their direction. Grimmjow didn't really care for newcomers, let alone other people outside of his social group. It would be a stupid choice to pick sitting next to Grimmjow over Inoue.

"I will sit next to Jaegerjaques-san."

The black haired teen proceeded to take his seat beside the cyan-haired delinquent, who snarled lightly at his response, leaving Orihime in slight bewilderment. He was slightly strange, to respond in such a cold manner. His voice was low and husky, yet cold and distant, sending slight chills up her spine. Brushing the slightly awkward situation off, she gathered herself and smiled to her teacher once again, sitting back down. As she faced the board, little did she know there was a pair of emerald eyes were glancing her way.

The end of first period miraculously came, and both Orihime and Ulquiorra were stopped by the teacher, the two being the last students in the classroom.

"Inoue-san, would you mind being Cifer-san's guide for today?" She handed her his timetable.

Orihime glanced over to Ulquiorra, who had one hand in his pocket, emotionless once again. "I was going to ask Jaegerjaques-san, but no surprise, he was asked to see the principal half way through class."

A sheepish smile rose to her face, "A-ah, of course, Kitamura-sensei!" She faced towards the boy, smiling. "I'm Orihime Inoue, pleasure to be acquainted with you!"

The boy remained quiet, almost as if he was observing the scene.

"He has Biology class with you next period, and I believe you two share English Literature, History and Chemistry as well." The teacher smiled at the two teens as she began to leave the room. "Please take good care of him."

Moments later, the teacher proceeded to leave the room. Orihime took the chance to be acquaint herself properly with the newcomer. She enjoyed making friends with new people, and somehow the extensive knowledge and high grades this boy achieved academically astounded her.

"How about I meet you outside our Biology room, which is on the third floor of Block 1? From there, I'll introduce you to Tatsuki-san, Kurosaki-kun and Kuchiki-san, they're all my good friends and they'd love to get to know you, just like how I do!"

The boy's features softened a little. Her offer caused a look on his face that almost seemed..._sad. _But his features showed nothing of the emotion. Orihime was observant and very capable of breaking down one's emotional barrier. This boy's, however, was as strong as steel and it would take forever to break it down.

"You do not need to assist me, woman."

And with that, he disappeared out of the room.

-:-

"Yo, Orihime, I saw you talking to that new kid after class, what was that all about?" Tatsuki asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Yeah, I saw that too, he doesn't seem like good news if he chose to sit with Grimmjow over you." Rukia commented, stealing a piece of of carrot off Tatsuki's box. They sat in a circle on the roof where they usually hung out. "He's kind of a loner."

Her eyes dropped in embarrassment, the previous events clouding her mind again. "Ano... I'm his guide for the day!" She forced a cheerful tone. "Kitamura-sensei wanted me to help him out since Grimmjow got sent to the principals office during class."

Truth be told, Orihime was slightly down at how abrupt he left the room last period. He didn't seem at all interested in getting to know her, or returning the polite greeting. It was a heart like hers that could easily be bruised when not taken care of gently.

"Grimmjow's bad news," Ichigo added as he sat dow beside his best friends, unwrapping his bento. "Inoue, I don't want you hanging with him or that weird kid. Saw him in the hallway with Grimmjow and Nnoitra and I knew he was bad news already."

"Kurosaki-kun," The auburn-haired teen greeted, her cheeks were burning up. "Mm, yeah... I have Biology with Ulquiorra-san next."

"Be careful." The group warned her. Orihime had been blessed with a caring group of friends. Tatsuki had been there for her after since Sora's death. Rukia had only come recently, but she was already like family to them all. As for Ichigo... Orihime had undeniable feelings for him, it was obvious. But the orange-haired deliquent hadn't made a move on her. He probably never will. "I heard a few kids down the hallway talking about how he's hanging with Grimmjow now."

The bell rung and the group said their goodbyes, each scattering to different directions. Orihime stood outside her Biology room, Ulquiorra's timetable in hand.

"I hope he doesn't get lost..." She muttered to herself, slightly worried that she'd be held responsible for losing him.

"I thought I told you I do not require your assistance."

Orihime turned around to meet the slender, black-haired teen again. He had one hand in his pocket, his face still pale and expressionless and a backpack over his shoulder.

"Aah, Ulquiorra-san!" A genuine smile of relief grew on her face. "I'm sorry, I was just worried that you might've gotten lost, since it is your first day..."

"Why do you worry? Once again, you do not need to assist me." He replied.

"Ano..." She trailed off, shying away from his eye contact, then noticing the empty hallways. "We're late, come!" She grabbed his hand absently, rushing into the boy stiffened slightly at their contact, but she had released him before he could speak.

They took the remaining seats, two beside each other. Orihime rested her chin on her palm, thinking of what had just happened. She couldn't help the fact that she had a caring nature, and that she was especially compassionate and loving to those close to her. She didn't know why she stuck around to wait for him, but she knew those emerald eyes were comforting and calming, much like —

"Inoue-san," her Biology teacher cleared her throat, now beside her desk. "You aren't paying attention, _again._"

"A-ah, I'm sorry, Ono-sensei. I was just—"

"Your grades are slipping too. Inoue-san, if you would like to pass your final year of high school and enter the university of your dreams, you will _need_ to pass Biology." Her look at the auburn-haired girl darkened. "At this state, you will fail."

The teacher sighed. "Which is why I've assigned Cifer-san to be your tutor for Biology until you pass. From his past records, he has achieve consecutive straight As throughout the recent two years at his old school. He also achieved full marks in our entrance exam for the Biology subject."

Orihime's eyes widened.

"Impressive, right? Therefore, setting this up will benefit you greatly as well as him. He will be gaining service hours to put on his resume in return, which I believe is what you are lacking severely on your record, am I right?" The teacher glanced at the boy, who was sitting on the desk beside Orihime.

The auburn-haired girl glanced at the boy, his expression was still emotionless but his frown had softened. He nodded at her statement.

"I suggest you two sort out the time and location, but Inoue-san," the petite woman softened her features at the young girl. "Please do try to make the best use of this. You are far more than capable in this subject, it is tragic that your Biology grades have now reached the level of an E-grade candidate."

The auburn-haired girl nodded, watching her teacher walk back to the front, continuing on with the lesson. Everyone had scattered around the room to grab a textbook off the teacher's desk. Truth be it, Orihime didn't really want to sacrifice her time into having a new tutor. She had already ditched juku, which took _ages_ convincing Tatsuki to let her off.

She turned to the pale boy's direction, her cheeks flushed slight pink. "Um...Ulquiorra-san, so about the arrangements... where should we hold these tutoring sessions?"

Moments later, the boy shot her a glance, still expressionless as ever.

"I do not wish to tutor you, woman."

**To Be Continued. **

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**Juku - **Japanese term for cram school/after-school tuition schools that students go to.

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Please review your thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

The Heart

**Chapter Two. **

Ulquiorra studied the girl's face. Her smile was...bright, illuminative, warm. He hadn't seen anyone with so much emotion, especially on a delicate rosy face like hers. How could one hold such positive emotions towards a stranger? It was truly a mystery with this strange woman.

Her dulcet voice finally spoke after the teacher had walked away, her fingers trembling slightly and her flushed cheeks turning away from his gaze._ She was embarrassed. Or nervous. _But for what purpose? Could she not speak her matter without all this unnecessary fuss?

"Um...Ulquiorra-san?" She tried to catch his attention, but little did she know it was already focused on her, studying each of her strange, somewhat skittish movements. "So, about the arrangements..." Her voice trailed off. _Again with these irrelevant movements_, he thought. "Where should we hold these tutoring sessions?"

Moments passed in silence before the boy opened his mouth to reply.

"I do not wish to tutor you, woman." he replied quietly. He noticed her eyes had widened, and a deeper color of pink had spread across her cheeks. She must be confused. Wait, no— now the woman was _smiling _now... but it was a different type of smile. He was somewhat reluctant to see the previous smile disappear, but she was much too confusing for him to catch up, as much as he didn't want to admit it. And he wont.

She spoke her mind but did not speak the point. She confuses those around her with petty actions and peculiar facial expressions. Was this woman an actress? Her emotions were plastered on her face, he knew that, but why would she so carelessly allow someone to read what she was thinking?

"O-oh, I see." was her meek response, shifting her gaze to the floor, her smile disappearing.

"Oh!" Suddenly, a grin appeared. "I have a set of super cute keychains I bought yesterday in the markets, and that just reminded me," the girl bent down to dig something deep in her bag. Moments later, a small fluffy emerald-green colored tofu dangled in front of his face. It was a phone charm. "I was looking at it last period and it reminded me of your eyes! I was like to myself, Ulquiorra-san definitely should have this! It matches his eye-color so well! Whenever I look at it, it reminds me of Ulquiorra-san, as if he's watching me!"

Ulquiorra analyzed the strange object, and her strange theory. It was small, and it had fur on it, emerald green in color, a smile designed on it's face with small flaps for hands, reaching out. It looked happy. A happy tofu phone charm.

"I do not need it." he replied swiftly, looking at the bizarre thing again. Why would this woman have such a strange ornament? She was confusing.

"Oh, but please have it!" The woman persisted, her smile plastered on her face. "When I was looking at it during English Literature last period, I thought to myself, Ulquiorra-san definitely needs to have it on his phone! It matches his eye color!" Dangling the thing again in front of his face she added, "Plus, it wants you as it's master! Look at it!"

Ulquiorra took another glance at the smiling tofu, then at the grinning woman again, his features remained composed. He did not know what was the intention of the woman to give such a strange object to him. For what purpose?

"I won't use it." was his cold response. He watched as the girl remain her smile, doing that silly action where she scratched her head.

"Oh, please have it anyway."

Shoving all his thoughts aside, he reached a hand out towards the keychain, interlocking his fingers with the black string and gently, tugged it off from hers. He took the green object and analyzed it's features once again, rubbing it's fluffy texture with his fingers gently. Fluffy. Then, shoved it into his pocket.

"You make no sense, woman." was all he replied before continuing sterilizing the utensils, unaware of a very happy Orihime next to him. Ulquiorra made a mental reminder to conduct an investigation on this woman; she had the ever-changing emotions plastered on her face with the most unnecessary movements along with it. A strange woman she was, and he had no time to deal with that.

He couldn't help but to think.

Was she truly happy to see him accept her gift?

-:-

That evening, Tatsuki had went over to the Inoue household like usual, to check up on the girl and cook her best friend _edible_ food whenever she had the chance to. Of course, Orihime being Orihime, she'd offer to let Tatsuki be the 'lucky candidate' to try out her new recipes. Tatsuki made a mental reminder to bring throw up bags to Orihime's after that evening.

"Are you crazy?" Tatsuki placed a hand on her forehead, sighing. Her ditzy best friend probably didn't understand the atmosphere when he turned the idea down. "Did you seriously give that new kid one of your childish little keychains after he told you _rudely_ that he didn't want to tutor you?" Another sigh. "And hey, if that kid is being a douche about it, I'll go and pound his sorry ass!"

"It's not childish!" Orihime blushed lightly as she brought a tray of drinks out to the living room. She did somehow feel slightly disappointed that Ulquiorra had so brusquely dismissed the teacher's idea. She wasn't sure if he even had a say in it, after all it was a teacher's recommendation that didn't seem to involve opinions and rejections. She decided not to say anything, since it would be pointless to push something he didn't want to do. I_t was nothing personal anyway_, she reassured herself, _he doesn't even know me!_

"It's fine, really. I don't really need tutoring anyway, it was just Ono-sensei who thinks my grades are slipping..."

"Orihime, your grades _are_ slipping. You use to attend juku with me whenever you found homework with the science subjects hard, but now you don't even bother studying!" Tatsuki allowed another sigh to escape her lips as she sipped on the orange juice.

"It doesn't matter, I've got you and Kurosaki-kun to help me, right? It also means one less thing to worry about if tutoring is going to take up my time..." Orihime thought aloud, angering Tatsuki slightly.

"Then I think you definitely should get this guy to help you out!" Tatsuki responded. "You're so lazy now, Orihime. I know it's harsh of me to say that...but I'm worried about you, you know? It's not like your aunt is being very nice about it, you need minimum grades for her to be willing enough to pay. And if that Ulquiorra guy is all that Ono-sensei said he was, then I'll be happy someone's talented enough to help. It's just that he looks like bad news to me, hangin' out with Grimmjow and Nnoitra and his clan of minging potheads."

Tatsuki placed a hand on Orihime's lap, a warm smile across her face. "All in all, if this Ulquiorra guy does help you with Biology and all that shit, promise me not to get involved with whatever his friends do, okay? Not one bit of it."

Orihime laughed sheepishly. It wasn't like they were going on a date or anything... clearly Tatsuki was overreacting the situation. "Oh Tatsuki-chan, you're getting so protective! He already told me he doesn't want to tutor me so I really think he wont." She paused, knowing her best friend was waiting for her reassurance. "But yes, I promise, okay? You don't have to worry."

"Okay, good. Stay away from the back entrance to school, as well... I heard it's their group that smokes pot and cigarettes around there during free periods."

Orihime pondered for a few seconds. _Ulquiorra-san smoking cigarettes? Drugs? That didn't seem like the type he was... surely it was only his friends. Ulquiorra certainly did not seem the type._ "No way... Ulquiorra-san doesn't seem the type to do drugs and all of that! He seems...different to the rest of them. I'm sure he's not like them."

Tatsuki could only let out another sigh and let the girl believe. Although she hadn't seen Ulquiorra be involved with anything the rest of his group did, no one couldn't be a part of that group without contributing something. Be it money, a deal, connections...Ulquiorra must be involved with that group in order to join them, and Tatsuki was sure he was bad news for it.

"Yeah, yeah."

-:-

When Tatsuki had taken her leave, Orihime plopped herself on the bed, all showered and clean. Tatsuki's words were stuck on her mind — Ulquiorra. Series of thoughts about Ulquiorra clouded her mind. Sure, she didn't really care about her studies at this point, and it wasn't like she could pay attention to his teaching anyway. She had a lack of inspiration, and she wasn't so sure she'd be getting it back soon. But hearing him so effortlessly deny the idea, did make Orihime feel slightly dispirited for the rest of the day. Her mind shifted towards his group.

Orihime was naturally a curious person, with all the good intentions of ensuring everyone's well-being by prying into their lives. It was a good and bad thing of her, something Ichigo use to say how she attracted trouble. Since then, Ichigo had made it his responsibility to make sure she was safe.

It was strange, however, she initially didn't think the rumors of Ulquiorra befriending Grimmjow and his clan were true. Grimmjow didn't take a liking to newcomers, and he made sure everyone knew that. How did Ulquiorra manage to be friends with them, anyway? The group they had have been a group since the start of time... or whenever Orihime _finally_ noticed there was a cyan-haired rebel in her class who kept leaving the classroom to see the Principal.

Orihime was up with the clouds most of the time.

It's certainly no shocker that Karakura students were involved with drugs. There were the occasional one or two who were expelled for it. The idea of Grimmjow doing drugs was believable, same with the infamous Nnoitra Gilga. However, to have Ulquiorra involved... it kind of seemed impossible. He was quiet, smart and cautious. His words were chosen well and he didn't seem like the reckless type, as Orihime remembered and the rest of them, however, flunked school and didn't do their homework.

Much like her.

Deciding that rumors were rumors, Orihime mentally called it a day. She hadn't physically seen Ulquiorra with that group, it was just earlier that day that she had caught the pale teen with Grimmjow. And maybe lunchtime. Plus rumors. Yes, it was the rumors that caused everyone to think he was bad news. It was 'tiring' day of going through school and doing nothing, and she was ready for many more of those days to come. Rolling over to the side of the bed, she leaned towards the lamp, tugging the string and welcoming herself into complete darkness.

-:-

Orihime entered the form room the following morning, a smile on her face as her backpack clung onto her shoulder. Today was a good day, and she had come in earlier to start on her recipe ideas for her friend Renji's birthday which was next week.

She had easy teachers who wouldn't mind if she had the occasional doze, or if they caught her daydreaming. Not many people were in the room, around two or three other students were at the back of the class casually reading a book or listening to music. She took her seat at the front as she grabbed a notepad out, ready to be absorbed into her imagination. She enjoyed these early mornings to herself.

As it grew closer to class time, more and more people came into the room. A few were caught up with gossip as they entered the room, and something particular caught Orihime's attention.

"God, I'm so glad we got out of that in time." A male student, his name she couldn't quite remember, had spoken with relief. Two of his other friends trailed behind him as they took a seat to the far right, opposite to where Orihime sat. "That fight was pretty intense. I didn't even know people could trespass Karakura High!"

"I know, but you gotta admit... I didn't expect that Ulquiorra kid to be able to put up a fight. He didn't look like the type to be able to put up a fight when he first came to our class."

Those words struck Orihime as she pretended to do her own work. Her eyes widened while briefly remembering the conversation she had with Tatsuki the previous night. All those rumors and assumptions she had heard must be true, then. Ulquiorra must've been involved with Grimmjow's group to be involved with fights. After all, Grimmjow got into trouble the most for getting involved with them. _No, this was gossip_. Slightly dumbstruck and unsure, Orihime continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"He didn't seem the type to join Grimmjow's group either."

Another student replied. "Yeah, I know... I heard he's really smart. Aiming for those top universities in America."

"...But if he's part of that group, I think he's gotta be involved with the stuff that they do. He's not so smart for getting involved, especially since most of it is illegal...so this couldn't have been the first fight he's been into then."

"Do you think we should call the ambulance? He was bleeding a lot the last time I saw him." The boy sitting on the table asked.

"No... let's not get into it, I'm sure they'll be fine."

Orihime's heart started to race when she heard the words 'bleeding a lot' and 'him' and 'illegal' and 'fight' as they came hacking into her mind all at once. She cursed those words as her heart started to race, unsure of her next decisions. A voice told her to get up and help him while she had the chance, but another suggested it was best she left it alone, it wasn't her matter anyway. She could either sit here and pretend she didn't know this boy (after all, he had declined the only connection between them that could enhance their relationship as just mere schoolmates) and get on with her boring, scheduled life, or help this boy and maybe understand the truth of his involvement with Grimmjow.

More students came in and words like 'Ulquiorra', 'blood' and 'fights' started to cloud up conversations, until eventually, the whole room was discussing the same topic. No one had legitimate proof of the incident, but at Karakura, everybody talked. Even those who didn't gossip were gossiping. Sentences came up in conversations like '_It was his second day in school and already into his first fight!' _and '_Grimmjow must've really given this punk a shitty task to do!' _

Now, she _really_ had to go. Curiosity started to take over, along with Orihime's natural care for others. It didn't matter if she wasn't related to the incident, she couldn't let him bleed to death alone...or _killed_, for that matter.

As she rose to her feet, Orihime ran over to the boys in a fury. "Where is he?"

The boys turned to look at her, their faces totally unbothered by the gossip. "Oh, good morning Inoue-san. Where's who?"

Orihime's voice had now displayed her growing impatience. "The fight with Ulquiorra-san! The fight you were talking about just now!"

"Oh, you heard?" One of the other boys replied. "It's at the school's back entrance. But I wouldn't go if I were you, there's other people—"

Cutting the boy off, she ran out of the room within seconds. Thoughts and worries clouded her mind. There was no way she could let him bleed there, even if she knew she couldn't put up a fight herself. She didn't even know the boy, and yet images of him passed out cold in her mind already sent terror down her spine as she dodged students and passed hallways. She had ignored Tatsuki and Ichigo's greeting, simply shouting a 'I'll be right back!' before sprinting at her full speed ahead.

Flights of stairs after another, she finally reached the back entrance of the school, an isolated place it was, which was separated by a green wired gate. It was a good spot for a fight indeed, but who would be stupid enough to pick a fight within the school's territories...?

-:-

Just a few meters behind the gate, Ulquiorra was on the ground, his back resting on a wall. His gaze was focused towards the ground as his left arm was pressed against his slightly exposed chest. His collar was messy and a few buttons were undone, and his sleeves smeared with blood. All in all, he looked like crap from where Orihime was standing. Pushing open the gates, she immediately ran towards him and noticed his bleeding was in a worse condition than what it seemed from a distance.

Her eyes widened as she noticed he was trying to prevent his chest from bleeding. "Ulquiorra-san!" She cried out, pulling his hand away from the wound. Orihime analyzed his body once again, no where aside his hands, chest and cheek had cuts. "Don't do that, your hands are dirty and it might cause bacteria to infect the wound!"

Ulquiorra looked up at her, his facial expressions softened up. He looked weak, and on the verge of passing out. His messy black hair remained and so did his collected expression. Even under situations like these, his expressions didn't seem to change. His face showed no fear.

"How did you find me?" His feeble voice asked as his hand found it's way to his chest, again attempting to stop the blood with his grubby hands. Orihime responded by forcefully pulling his hand away from the wound again, her eyebrows knitted into a frown. Looking at him again, his chest had horrific cuts and his face was pale while slightly panting. God, he looked ruined. Whoever had done this to him, they did a good job on making him look like real_ crap_.

"I heard the students talk about a fight here...please tell me what is going on here, _Ulquiorra-san._" She pleaded, her hands still locked with his mindlessly. As she glanced down, noticing their interlock, a blush appeared on her cheeks. He didn't seem to move his hand away from her, let alone notice, and so she decided not to cause embarrassment and pushed the embarrassment aside. She needed to get information out of him urgently, noticing his face was growing paler by the minute.

"Were you fighting alone? Where are the rest of your friends? Grimmjow-san?"

"It isn't safe here." He replied, voice slightly weaker than usual, clutching her hand absently. She could tell his voice was a lot more faint, lifeless, almost _dead._ "Leave me now, onna. _Go._ Do not come back."

At his words, his body jerked forward, abruptly coughing up blood. Orihime's eyes widened at the sight, then immediately pulled his arm over her neck so his weight rested on her. She didn't like to see this, his condition, it was causing her to worry more and no one helpful was in sight. She didn't know if it was a good thing or not, but thank God no one came to this side of the school. Orihime couldn't imagine what could've happened if she hadn't come in earlier.

Moments after, the boy's panting started to decrease and eventually became entirely quiet. Orihime turned to look down at him, gaining a perfect view of his black eyelashes. His eyes were closed and his head rested on her shoulder, unmoving with the slightest movements of breathing.

Orihime froze as she spectated the body again.

"_Ulquiorra-san?_" She patted his porcelain face lightly The body didn't respond. It was only then she noticed his paleness, how he may possibly have the best skin she's ever seen. For a guy, he had impressive features... the way his eyebrows made him look angry all the time made her chuckle secretly whenever he wasn't looking, and the way his nose was so perfectly shaped... Orihime couldn't help to smile at her thoughts, before noticing one thing and one thing only.

Ulquiorra had passed out on her shoulder, and they were _beyond_ late for class.

Beyond late for class, and smothered in blood at back entrance of the school, _alone_.

Smothered in blood at the back entrance of the school and did she mention Ulquiorra had _passed out_?

"Oh shit... No no no no, please don't fall sleep on me, Ulquiorra-san!" Grabbing his shoulders, Orihime shook the unconscious body violently, hoping he was just playing with her. More shaking and his head would've rolled off. Yep, he was out.

The auburn-haired girl looked around to see if anyone was in sight_. _Not a single soul. "I don't even know where you live..." Orihime's voice quietened to a low murmur; letting out a sigh in defeat, Orihime's ears tingled upon hearing a few distant voices that seemed to be coming from the corridor just nearby where they were.

"Hey, I heard there was some kind of fight nearby this wing!" A voice called out from a distant. "Should we check it out?"

"Yeah, we have time to spare. Lets go check it out." Another voice encouraged. If they didn't get out of there fast, then Ulquiorra could kiss his report goodbye.

Upon hearing the voices, worries started to fill her mind, she was panicking silently now. _Shit shit shit_. _To t__he hospital! Yes! _But they would require some sort of ID that she hadn't bring... and there was a risky chance of police involvement for minors in such drastic incidents._ This was not good_. After pondering a few more seconds in fear, she decided it was either act now or get caught. Deciding that there was no way she could leave him and return to class, she pulled the boy's heavy figure up, one arm wrapped behind his back and clutching his waist for support.

"We're going to my home, okay? Just hang in there a bit longer please, Ulquiorra-san..." Orihime spoke to no one in particular, adjusting Ulquiorra's position carefully onto hers, as quickly as possible. As she staggered down to the exit, she heard an object fall to the ground.

"Oh, potato..." Orihime mumbled, cursing her luck.

She turned to catch a glimpse at the source of the noise, Ulquiorra's weight causing difficulties to turn her neck properly. There laid his black phone, a glossy black screen with a green case attached to the back of it. What caught Orihime's attention the most was the familiar emerald color phone charm that secured onto the device. It was small, it smiled and it was green.

**To Be Continued.**

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(Edited ver.) I'm starting to feel a little demotivated, so please review if you think this story has potential. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm more than happy to receive constructive criticism. Ja ne!


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